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ICYMI: Rick Scott Still Fighting Disclosure of Conflicts, How Much He Made Off Being Governor

Posted April 7, 2018

ICYMI: Rick Scott Still Fighting Disclosure of Conflicts, How Much He Made Off Being Governor

Two new reports from the Associated Press and Miami Herald reveal Scott is continuing to fight in court to hide his secret financial account and how he used his position as governor to enrich himself. The Tampa Bay Times previously reported that Scott’s secret account violates federal disclosure rules for Senate candidates.

From FDP Spokesman Sebastian Kitchen: “What is Rick Scott hiding? Are his conflicts of interest even deeper than previously reported? We already know he had interest in companies doing business with the state while he is governor. Rick Scott’s years-along, costly, self-serving delay tactics to hide his conflicts of interest highlight how he looks out for himself -- not the people of Florida -- and are another example he’ll say anything to advance his own agenda.”

“Florida Gov. Rick Scott may soon run for the U.S. Senate, but he remains entrenched in an ongoing legal battle over whether he has sidestepped state laws that require him to fully disclose the extent of his vast personal wealth.”

“Don Hinkle, a Tallahassee attorney, asked a state appeals court on Friday to let the case move ahead. Attorneys for the Republican governor are challenging a lower court's refusal to dismiss the lawsuit. Hinkle…says Scott is ‘taking extraordinary measures’ to avoid fully disclosing his finances. Hinkle adds that if Scott runs for the U.S. Senate he will finally have to disclose them anyway.”

“Questions have followed Scott since he first created the blind trust when he was elected in 2010…Tax returns showed that the Scott family earns millions more than the governor reported individually on his financial disclosure form. It also raised questions about whether Scott may have control over assets held by his wife… In June, Scott reported that he had a net worth of $149 million in 2016, $30 million more than the previous year.”

“An investigation by the Herald/Times into those investments found that filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission indicated the governor had substantially larger holdings in several companies than what he reported to the state.”

“Hinkle accuses Scott of ‘hiding his money and finances from the people of Florida’ and asked the court to dismiss the appeal. He argued that ‘if he runs for the United States Senate, he will have to make these disclosures — or else continue his practice of delaying and avoiding the transparency the law requires.’”

"’Federal candidates are required to not only disclose a trust, but the underlying asset, the value of that asset and any income from that asset,’ said Kate Keene, a financial disclosures expert at the Washington, D.C., laws firm of Perkins Coie.”